How long does it take to mend a broken heart in sports?

Losses, when determined on the playing surface, you can get over.

But when your dreams and goals are yanked away before they have a chance to be played out, that’s when you feel robbed of what could have been.

That’s how I feel about the knee injury suffered on March 10 by University of Hawaii volleyball star Spyros Chakas.

I feel so bad, so sad for Spyros. Like many supporters, I pray for his recovery.

He came back his senior year for this program, these fans, this university, this state.

He did what Colt Brennan did — returned to play for UH for one last ride when he could have easily gone pro.

For Spyros to not be able to finish on his terms is what makes his ending so disheartening.

It was even hard for Spyros to express himself on social media.

“Not sure I have the words to describe how it feels to not be able to compete in these last two months of my 4 year journey here in Hawai’i,” he posted on Instagram last week. “Everything in life happens for a reason and instead of thinking about the severity of the injury or how scary it was when I fell, I am proud of myself for always giving everything I had on the court and for growing as a human being over these last few years. I will be next to the team in any way that I can, and I am more than sure that the boys will keep battling in order to achieve what we had all set as our goals for this season. Lastly, I want to thank every single one of you who have reached out and kept me in your thoughts and prayers during a difficult time like this. I will come out of it better and stronger no matter how long it takes or how hard it is. 6 out.”

The injury itself looked frightening. It’s the kind that national TV broadcasts often refuse to replay but usually finds its way onto the Internet.

As a long-time sports fan and viewer, I’ve seen many gruesome injuries. For local fans, we’ve witnessed the debilitating season-ending injuries to then UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton and later another to Alabama and Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa.

Those injuries were suffered in a collision sport and involved either vascular or neurological trauma. I pray that wasn’t the case with Spyros.

Spyros’ injury also occurred here, in front of nearly 7,000 fans at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center and before a statewide TV audience.

The eerie scene on match point in the fifth set against UC Irvine would not be forgotten anytime soon.

“I’ve never seen anything like that. That was one of the images that will stick with me throughout that whole thing,” UH coach Charlie Wade said in an article written by Star-Advertiser beat writer Billy Hull. “That it goes from match point, just all of the energy and stuff, to dead silence. That was kind of freaky for sure.”

Even the Spectrum announcing team of Kanoa Leahey and color analyst Chris McLachlin seemed to be stunned by the silence.

The imagery and its significance will go down as probably the worst injury in the history of UH sports. Sure there’ve been injuries in other UH sports, but this one involved the soul of the team, a national Player of the Year candidate leading a team with national championship aspirations.

The only other injury as devastating and concerning at the time was Colt’s concussion on a brutal hit against Fresno State. But Colt came back and led the Warriors to the Sugar Bowl. Spyros will not have such a chance.

I’d like to see Spyros return to the arena and get the long-lasting ovation that he richly deserves. It might be cathartic for him, the fans and the team.

Wade kept preaching that the Warriors need “to pick up the pieces and move on.”

After being swept at Long Beach State on Friday, Wade told Hull, “the best thing for us was getting back out on the court. … and just getting back out and kind of getting some normalcy.”

After losing a five-set thriller to the on Beach Saturday — UH’s 11th loss in a row in the Walter Pyramid — Wade said, “We got better. There ain’t no doubt. It’s going to take us a while to get back.”

I don’t know if the Warriors will be able to get all the way back, no matter how much fight and effort they put forth.

Sometimes the loss of such an immense talent as well as the emotional scars are too much to overcome.